by Jean Plaidy
Sir Robert Peel was very interested when George Anson told him that it was the wish of a ‘common friend’ that he should put a certain matter before him, particularly so when he discovered that that friend was the Prince Consort.
Sir Robert Peel, a man of great courage and high ideals, knew that it was almost certain that before the year was out he would be Prime Minister; although he believed this would be the best thing possible for the country he was not looking forward to being sent for by the Queen and having to face a humiliating situation such as that which had confronted him two years ago when the Queen had refused to give up the ladies of her bedchamber who were all related to prominent Whigs. These Whig ladies were still in their positions but the situation would be different now. On that other occasion Lord Melbourne had resigned although the government had not actually been defeated, but in view of Lord Melbourne’s small majority he had decided it was impossible to carry on. Therefore in taking over from Melbourne, Sir Robert would not have had a majority in the House – until there was an election of course – and in those circumstances he had not felt it possible to form a government which would incur the hostility of the Queen. It was different now. The Melbourne Ministry would soon be defeated in the house; a general election would be called; the Tories would get a big majority and it would then not be possible for the Queen to defy them. If then Peel insisted on her changing her bedchamber ladies she would have to do so. It was an unpleasant situation which Sir Robert Peel would have given a great deal to avoid.
Dedicated, as Melbourne never could be, responsible for so many reforms, Sir Robert was completely lacking in those social graces which made Lord Melbourne so popular in many of the great houses and chiefly in Buckingham Palace and Windsor. He could be witty and amusing in his home; he could be dynamic in the House of Commons; he was cool and courageous, a great leader and reformer; but in the presence of the young girl who was Queen he was at a great disadvantage, being aware that she disliked him intensely – and illogically – largely because his rise must mean the fall of Lord Melbourne.
Having met the Prince Consort and found him a man of temperament similar to his own he had been hopeful. It seemed possible that Albert might be able to guide the Queen, to teach her the value of logic, to make her understand that government is not necessarily in good hands because those hands happen to be owned by a gentleman of great personal charm. He was eager to hear what Anson had to tell him.
Sir Robert said: ‘You may speak absolutely frankly to me and every word you say shall be between us two. I shall not, without permission, mention what we discuss to any of my colleagues, not even the Duke of Wellington.’
George Anson said that it seemed almost certain that there would soon be an election and there was little doubt of the result. He reminded Sir Robert of a contretemps which had put him in a very embarrassing position two years ago when the Queen had sent for him and asked him to form a government. The Prince was anxious that there should be no such recurrence of such an embarrassment.
‘The last thing I wish to do is humiliate the Queen,’ declared Sir Robert sincerely. ‘I would waive every pretension to office rather than do so.’
‘But if you did, Sir Robert, someone would take your place and the situation would be the same. The Prince wishes to know whether, if certain offices in the Queen’s Bedchamber were vacant at the time you took office, you would be prepared to consult with Her Majesty as to who should fill them.’
Sir Robert waited for George Anson to go on.
‘The three principal posts are held by the Duchess of Sutherland, the Duchess of Bedford and Lady Normanby. Now, suppose these ladies voluntarily resigned before you came into power, no unpleasant situation would arise.’
‘That is so,’ said Sir Robert.
‘Voluntary resignations,’ went on Anson, ‘and the posts vacant when the new government comes in. This is what the Prince feels will settle the matter satisfactorily.’
Sir Robert agreed that if this could be brought about a great deal of embarrassment would be saved on both sides.
Lord Melbourne was very grave when he called on the Queen.
‘I know what you have come to tell me,’ she said. ‘I have seen it coming for some time now.’
‘The main struggle will take place over the sugar duties,’ said Lord Melbourne. ‘And the Tories have threatened to bring up the matter of corn.’
She nodded.
‘And this time it will be the end.’
‘Well, we have been teetering on the edge for a long time,’ said Lord Melbourne. ‘We cannot teeter forever.’
‘Oh, my dear Lord Melbourne, what am I going to do without you?’
‘Your Majesty is in a different position now from that which you occupied on that other occasion. Now you have the Prince to stand with you.’
‘He is so good,’ said the Queen, ‘and I fear that I am very hasty and say things which I don’t really mean.’
‘Your Majesty is going through a very difficult time.’
‘There is no excuse for me. Women are having babies all the time.’
‘But they don’t have the additional burden of governing a country.’
‘Lord Melbourne, you are trying to make me sorry for myself.’
‘Indeed not, Ma’am. Any one of your subjects would envy you for having such a good and patient husband.’
The Queen was almost in tears. ‘How right you are. But that only makes me the more angry with myself for being so unkind to him and when I get angry with myself I am angry with him for making me so.’
‘It is what is known as a vicious circle,’ said Lord Melbourne.
‘If only he were not so good.’
‘A very trying quality,’ said Lord Melbourne with a touch of his humour.
‘We should admire it.’
‘As we do.’
‘But it is so hard to live up to. And you are right, it is trying when one is fretful and peevish and bad-tempered to be confronted by someone always wearing a Sunday face.’
Lord Melbourne was amused at the term. ‘Sunday faces,’ he suggested, ‘should perhaps be kept for the day when they are intended to be worn. To wear a Sunday face on a Wednesday would be like wearing Court dress to go marketing.’
Trust Lord Melbourne to make her laugh! It occurred to her fleetingly that it was partly his flippant worldliness which had made her so devoted to him in the past. Although a good kind feeling man, Lord M was never pious. He would never have a Sunday face to put on even on a Sunday.
Perhaps one of the reasons for her irritability was Albert’s unswerving goodness, which made her feel and act as though she were far from good.
But she was being disloyal to Albert, and that was the last thing she wanted to be. She was miserable when she quarrelled with him. She was devoted to her dear Prime Minister but she passionately loved her husband.
‘We are forgetting the seriousness of all this,’ she said. ‘Oh, dear Lord Melbourne, I cannot bear it if you leave me … now.’
‘We shall meet … often, I hope.’
‘And you will continue to write to me.’
‘I shall be entirely at your service.’
‘But it won’t be the same. You won’t come every day. I can imagine that Peel person objecting!’
‘He would only object if I discussed politics – a very reasonable objection. Give Peel a chance. You’ll recognise his virtues.’
‘It could never be the same.’
‘But you will remember that you have the Prince beside you. You can trust him completely. I respect his intelligence. You are very fortunate to have such a good husband.’
‘I know.’
‘Let him know how you appreciate him. Don’t shut him out.’
‘How I wish I did not lose my temper.’
‘You’ll learn to control it.’
‘When I think of some of the things I have done and said to Albert I shudder.’
‘Albert will forgive you.’
‘He is the most forgiving, kindest man in the world.’
On that note the Prime Minister took his leave, promising to report any new development in the situation to the Queen.
Before leaving the palace, Lord Melbourne saw George Anson. He told him that he had just left the Queen and that her mood was one of deep contrition because of recent scenes with Prince Albert. In Lord Melbourne’s opinion the Queen was coming out of one of her difficult phases; this seemed to Lord Melbourne a good moment for Albert to speak to her about the new proposals to deal with the bedchamber affair in the event of the government’s being defeated.
Consequently Albert went to the Queen. He looked very handsome and she thought as she always did when she saw him that there was not another man in the world to equal him in appearance. His gaze was tender. Lord Melbourne was right. She was indeed fortunate.
‘Albert,’ she cried tearfully. ‘You do love me, Albert?’
‘With all my heart,’ said Albert fervently in German, which he always used in his most tender moments.
‘I am so difficult.’
‘My dear love, I understand. No sooner is Pussy born than you are to have another child. You are very young and it has been a little too much. But you are better, I can see that.’
‘You are so good, so patient, and even younger than I.’
‘By three months. It is nothing. And it is my duty to be patient. Besides, I love you.’
‘I will try to deserve your love. But I wonder whether I could ever be as good as you, Albert. And there are trials ahead. I have just seen the Prime Minister. A crisis is looming. Trade is bad. The finances are low. There is trouble about sugar and corn. And Sir Robert Peel is trying to oust Lord Melbourne.’
‘If the government is defeated on the budget, they will have to resign.’
‘It is exactly as it was before.’
‘Not exactly,’ said Albert. ‘Then the government had a small majority on the Jamaica Bill and resigned. Peel was not strong enough because had he formed a government he would have had a minority in the House. The position is changed. If the government was defeated on the budget, Peel would go to the country and there would almost certainly be a big Tory victory.’
‘That is what Lord Melbourne says. I dread that man Peel’s becoming Prime Minister. I dislike the man and he dislikes me too.’
‘I do not believe that to be true.’
‘Dear Albert, you think everyone is as kind and forgiving as you are.’
‘I don’t think Sir Robert is a vindictive man. He was very humiliated at the time of the bedchamber affair two years ago and would naturally not wish to be placed in such a position again.’
‘And when he comes to me and demands that I change my bedchamber women?’
‘Victoria, I have something very serious to say to you.’
‘Yes, Albert?’
‘You know, don’t you, that everything I do is for your benefit. My great concern is to spare you pain.’
‘Dearest Albert, I know it.’
‘I spend my days wondering how I can be of use to you.’
‘And I repay you by outbreaks of my horrid temper.’
‘Yet I know the tenderness of your heart and that you love me.’
‘Oh I do, Albert, I do.’
‘Then you will understand my motive, whatever you think of my action. We have to face facts, Victoria. The government is going to fall and the Tories are going to be victorious. Sir Robert Peel will come to you and you will be obliged to ask him to form a new government.’
‘I dread it. He will prance on the carpet like a dancing master and he will domineer and humiliate me and tell me that I shall have to have the ladies he chooses for me.’
‘He will not, Victoria, because I have been in communication with him on this matter.’
‘You … in communication with Sir Robert Peel!’
‘I thought it best … in fact I thought it the only way to save you from a humiliating situation. You are the Queen and expect subservience. But you are my wife and I was determined to protect you from humiliation, inconvenience, and if need be from yourself.’
She looked at him in astonishment. He looked stern and masterful and she felt a thrill of delight in this new strong Albert.
‘Please tell me, Albert,’ she said.
‘I have arranged – and Sir Robert has agreed to this – that the distressing matter of your household ladies shall be avoided. It is not possible for your household to be composed of ladies from such prominent Whig families as it is now, when your government is Tory. It would be a point of immediate controversy when the new government came in. So … some of your ladies … the leading ones like the Duchess of Bedford and Lady Normanby and the Duchess of Sutherland, are going to resign of their own accord before the new government comes in. Thus when there is a new ministry those posts will be vacant and it will be a matter for you and your new Prime Minister to decide who shall fill them.’
‘Albert … you have arranged this?’
He nodded, his heart beating wildly, as he waited for her anger to show itself. But it did not. A look of immense relief came over her face.
‘I have been so dreading it,’ she said. ‘Oh, Albert, thank you.’
Albert seized her in his arms; he kissed her in a manner which for Albert was quite abandoned.
‘Oh, Albert,’ she said meekly, ‘I was dreading it all … but I see now how different everything is. I have you.’
Albert was exultant. This was more than a temporary triumph. The way was clear ahead. He believed that he could now take the place beside the Queen which he had always known he must have if his marriage was to be happy.
There were great obstacles ahead, he knew, but this success had shown him that he could succeed.
When Lord Melbourne came to see the Queen, delightedly she told him what Albert had done.
‘You can rely on the Prince to stand beside you,’ said Lord Melbourne with tears in his eyes. ‘I shall now not feel so badly about ceasing to be your Prime Minister.’
‘I shall never be completely consoled,’ she replied, noting the tears and feeling her own well up. ‘But it is true that Albert has been a great comfort to me over this matter.’
‘And so it shall be through the years ahead.’
‘I believe it will. You know he arranged this without consulting me.’
‘Which was the only way it could have been done. He was determined to have no opposition.’
‘I was delighted. It had been worrying me a great deal. And to think that Albert saw it all and knew exactly what to do.’
‘Very commendable,’ said Lord Melbourne. ‘And Your Majesty must also applaud the part Sir Robert has played in this.’
‘Albert says he could have been vindictive.’
‘He could, but he is a noble and gallant gentleman.’
‘My dear Lord Melbourne,’ she cried, ‘and so are you. I am most impressed by the manner in which you have always spoken of your enemy.’
‘We are only enemies in the House of Commons; outside it we are quite good friends.’
‘Nevertheless he and his policies are the reason I am going to lose you. I shall find it hard to forgive him for that.’
‘Your Majesty must not allow your kindness to me to affect your feelings for Sir Robert.’
‘If you should be defeated at the polls you will still be my friend, Lord Melbourne. I shall insist upon it. You will visit me often; you will write to me. We must never forget that we are friends.’
Lord Melbourne was too moved to speak for a few moments and then said brightly, as though to cover up his emotion, ‘I have some news for Your Majesty.’
‘What news?’ she cried, trying to catch his mood.
‘News which will please and interest you. Lord John Russell really is going to marry Fanny Elliot.’
‘Really? He certainly needs a wife with all those children. How many of them are there?’
‘Six.’
�
��Oh, yes, four of them were dear Adelaide’s before she married him and the youngest little girl was Lord John’s. Then there’s little Victoria named after me, whose coming was responsible for Adelaide’s death. I wish them every happiness. I have always been so fond of Johnny.’
But Lord Melbourne had left her the thought of the first Lady John Russell who had died giving birth to a child and she was reminded unpleasantly of her own ordeal which was coming closer.
Then the sense of well-being which Albert’s care for her had brought her began to wane; and she trembled at the thought of facing the hazardous business of once more bringing a child into the world.
Lord Melbourne soon had an opportunity of speaking to Prince Albert when he congratulated him on the successful outcome of his little manoeuvre.
‘It could not have been achieved without the cooperation of Sir Robert,’ said the Prince.
‘It’s to be hoped that Her Majesty realises this.’
‘She still dislikes him.’
Lord Melbourne smiled tenderly; then he was serious and said regretfully: ‘It will be Your Highness’s place, not mine, to correct her in this.’
‘I hope I shall be successful,’ said Albert.
‘Your Highness must be successful.’
‘I want to thank you for your help, Lord Melbourne.’
‘My duty, Your Highness. My greatest desire is for Her Majesty’s happiness.’
‘Then we share a goal.’
‘Your Highness, I should like to offer a word of advice.’
‘Please do.’
‘Get rid of the governess.’
Albert’s calm manner belied his inner excitement. ‘If only I could,’ he whispered.
‘She will always work against you. It may well be that many of your differences with the Queen have had their roots in her behaviour.’
‘I have long believed this to be so. She is inefficient. I blame the Queen’s lack of education on her.’
‘Her mother should not have segregated her from the Court and should have given her better teachers. The Baroness has done what she believes best and her devotion is without question. The Queen overflows with affection; she is completely loyal. But if you are going to have a happy married life, and that will contribute to a successful reign, you must get rid of the governess.’